Monthly Archives: April 2013

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Residing on Starnes Street in Augusta, Richmond County, GA in 1930 was the BARKER Family. They are found in the 1930 U.S. Census records. Census records are interesting reading; mostly fact interspersed with tidbits of fiction.

The head of the household was William W. (Washington) BARKER at age 32. ‘M’ stands for male and the number ’19’ on his line of information tells his age when he married. He worked as a ‘Car Inspector’ for the Railroad.

Essie E. (‘E’ is really Lee) BARKER is William’s wife, age 35 and married at age 22 according to the record but she was actually 25 years old when she married . . . but who’s counting?

It’s just a matchbook cover but when I spotted it in a tin full of assorted matchbooks at a garage sale, it stood up and shouted to me “HERE I AM !!!!!!!”

This is a matchbook that Charles HOPKINS‘ place of employment, “The Independent Life & Accident Insurance Company” used for years. They must have made a few gazillion of them with half of that gazillion in our house.

It’s amazing how strong memories develop from childhood. Smells and visual icons are like time machines for me, traversing years in mere seconds.

I’d never seen the Statue of Liberty but that was no reason for me not to know who she was. Everyone knows her. And even though the company was headquartered in Jacksonville Florida instead of New York, that was no reason not to use her as the main icon for the company.

James probably never considered that his 12 letters written in 1862 would be shared and read by his descendants. They were not meant for us but we have gleaned so much from his correspondence to his wife.

Understanding and forgiveness appear in Letter 11. The realities of war are described and as ever, James has a keen sensitivity to crops and prices of goods in the area. He still has no money and is concerned about his family having shoes.

The last letter, number 12 is penned by someone other than James due to his injury. He is in a Confederate Hospital in Richmond, VA.

Letter 11

Virginia richmond June the 20th

Dier wife I take the plesier of droping you a few lines to informe you that I am well at this time and I hope this will find you all well I reseved youre leter dated the 11 witch please me vary mutch to her that you was all well and you have become reconsiled about your spyses I a sorra to think you had that opinion of mee Wright pritchet died last night and his brother cant carry him home it cost $40-$50 dolers to barry ethring so ther is no chance for the pore I int to git my tipe to you for there is no chances there is one hundred men in this company and about thirty four duty tha ar qurd of them that —- it gives them the brake tha ar fiting every day in – ———the ole gineral burnt everything up the tents and everything we have only what we had on our backs tell my farther [father] [1] that tome [Tommy] [2] is her and looks as well as I ever seen him his ridgment is in our brigade Corne is three dolars a bushel her sirup is five dolars a galon are you making aney corne I reseved youre leter that tha ole mail in one day the 17 Yall rote to mee wether I got pleanty to eat or not I doo sutch as it is Bread and meat wheat bread at that wee git som beef ons aweek I have got a bunch of wheet Crops is vary good her you don’t no how glad I would be to see you all I doo dreame about you aften times I think if I doo ever git out of this I will stay at home the balans of my dayes I don’t hav eny idea that tha war will last mutch longer Continue reading →

In Letter 9, James wants information from Clary to change his situation in the military stating that he ‘can’t live this life’. His possesions include a blanket, napsack and discarded knife.

In Letter 10 the strain of separation from his wife is manifest. It would be so interesting to know what Clary said in her letter dated June 4th. We can only imagine it expressed displeasure and some distrust after Letter 5 where James wrote about the women he had seen and his desire to go fishing with Clary. James ends letter 10 rather cold and business like.

The National Park Service website astutely describes the average soldier of the civil war; ‘They would face diseases they had never known and wounds they had never imagined. And through it all, these common-folk-turned-soldiers would endure homesickness to a degree none of them had ever envisioned.’

Letter 9

Richmond Virginia June the 10 1862

Dier wife I take the plesier of droping you a few lines to informe you that I am well at this time and I hope this will find you injoing the blesing I want you to rite to mee as soon as you git this leter I want you to rite to mee what ridment Wiley [1] is in Va and all about it for I don’t aime to sta her I can get a transfer to my brother anewher you can fine out from J. Grant [2] and from Any Brown [3] the life I live I cant live this life I have got one blanket and my napsack and the knife that lutie give to Brown the time of the retreat he throde it away and I pick it up and I am a going to fetch it home if I cane Nothing more at present only I remane youre husban until death

by D.J. Proctor to Mrs. C. Dickerson

J.H. DICKERSON

[1] Wiley is James’ younger brother born 8 Oct 1835. He enlisted in the 32nd Confederate Infantry Regiment, Company H.

[2] J. Grant is probably J.L. Grant found living in Proctor, Monroe County, GA at the time of the 1860 census. He was born about 1825, was married and had 5 children.

[3] Any Brown is most likely Andrew J. Brown who enlisted in Company H of the 32nd GA Infantry Regiment on 6 May 1862 just as Wiley DICKERSON.

Letter 10

Virginia Richmond June the 14 1862

Dier wife I seat my self to informe you that I am well at this time I reseved yore leter dated the 4 witch I was sorry to her that you was displeise with the one I sent you [1] I ment no harme of it you did not understand it about not being at home when you rote I had no blank look nor the old man and wher did you git it and william Brown [2] told me that he heard your brother Henry say that he was going to move you closer to his hous and I rote to you I would be glad to be at home so mee and you could go afishing witch was no harme I have no spise ther [spies there] and I dont want you to rite to mee about none of youre Dam spise and if cant [d]o so I dont want you to rite at all you can use youre one plesier about it I think that the war will come to a close I am as hapy as if were soner I see yankes every Day tha have berloones [3] you dont rite whether you ar making any corne or not So good evening Nothing more at presant

” . . nearly daily balloon ascensions at Yorktown attracted much attention from the Confederates with the balloon being a constant target for their guns. Lowe stated, “the enemy opened upon it with their heavy siege guns or rifled field pieces, until it had attained an altitude to be out of reach, and repeated this fire when the balloon descended, until it was concealed by the woods.”

We are in the 150th anniversary of the Civil War 1861-1865. There are many events commemorating this piece of history coming up in the next year or two. Many of our kindred dead were involved in this war. It’s a great opportunity to enrich your lives while the anniversary is being observed.

Did You Know – Confederate armies were usually named for states or regions where they campaigned, while union armies were named after major rivers. Thus the Confederate Army of Tennessee opposed to the Union Army of the Tennessee.

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